Jacques Roux
Jacques Roux (21 August 1752-10 February 1794) was a radical Catholic priest of France who was a member of the Paris Commune. Known for his brutality that was too much even for Maximilien Robespierre, he was also a major leader of the early form of socialism, preaching the illegalization of private property and class society. He committed suicide in the Bicetre Hospital of Paris in 1794 after being accused of taking funds from Jacques Hebert's widow after Jacques' execution. Biography Jacques Roux was born on 21 August 1752 in Pranzac, Charente, southwestern France. He became a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, and although many of his kind were massacred during the French Revolution, he became the leader of a far-left group called "Les Enrages", a political faction that sought to illegalize the ownership of private property and the system of class society. In 1793, he delivered his views to the National Convention in a controversial statement that aroused much anger against his views. His rhetoric ignited food riots, which led to his brutality flaring up. He killed a butcher that was accused of being a food hoarder with a knife, and he was responsible for many kidnappings and murders. His brutality was too much for many people, even for the violent National Convention and Paris Commune leader Maximilien Robespierre. Jean-Paul Marat, the famous pamphleteer, wrote that he was a false priest that was only interested in religion if it gave him money. Robespierre accused Roux of being a foreign spy trying to disrupt the revolutionary government and the Committee of Public Safety. Roux was in fact belonging to another group, the Templar Order, who kept him in their back pocket for after Robespierre was overthrown. In July 1793, Roux was charged with the misappropriation of charitable funds. He stole money from Jacques Hebert's widow, and was arrested in August 1793. Roux attempted to stab himself in prison, but he failed in his suicide attempt. Roux was guarded in his prison by Jacobin Club guards that were also loyal to the Templars, so he was not mistreated. The Assassin Order tried many times to assassinate Roux, but many of their recruits failed to do so and they were captured by the Jacobins. In February 1794, Arno Dorian was sent to the Hopital de la Salpetriere to assassinate Roux and free the prisoners. Roux strangled a young Jacobin guard to death during confession in his prison cell, and another guard threw him a key to let him loose and to stretch his legs. The guard told him that the day after, he would bring the Reign of Terror into a new era, and Roux told him to make sure that his masters held up their side of the bargain. Death The Assassins were able to free their prisoners from the hands of the Jacobins, and they went after Roux next. They were able to assassinate Roux, whose death was passed off as a second successful suicide attempt. Category:French priests Category:Priests Category:French Category:Killed Category:Politicians Category:French politicians Category:Jacobins Category:1752 births Category:1794 deaths Category:Catholics Category:French socialists Category:Socialists Category:Enrages